Adobe Expands Photoshop AI Tools and Adds Glow Effects to Lightroom

Adobe has announced several new features for Photoshop and Lightroom at Adobe MAX 2026 in Miami Beach. The updates introduce more AI-powered editing tools, improved object removal, and additional retouching capabilities across both applications.

Most of the announced features are now available through the November updates for Photoshop and Lightroom. However, some of Adobe’s more experimental AI features remain in beta or preview, including its conversational Photoshop AI Assistant and local Model Context Protocol integrations.

Photoshop Gets Relight and Generative Restyle

One of the major additions to Photoshop is the Relight tool, which has moved from public beta into the main application. It uses generative AI to change the lighting of a photograph after it has been captured.

Users can add up to three virtual light sources, with controls for their position, color, and size. Each light source is placed on a dedicated layer, allowing photographers to revisit and refine the lighting adjustments without permanently altering the original image.

Photoshop is also getting Generative Restyle, a tool that changes the appearance of an image without requiring users to write a text prompt. Instead, a slider lets users fine-tune the effect.

Adobe reportedly demonstrated the feature by transforming a midday landscape photograph into a golden-hour scene with a pastel sunset. The adjustment goes beyond simply changing the image’s brightness or color temperature, using generative AI to reinterpret the conditions under which the photograph was captured.

Like Relight, Generative Restyle works on a dedicated layer, allowing users to make further adjustments later.

Both Relight and Generative Restyle are now available in the main Photoshop application.

Improved Object Removal and Quick Compare

Photoshop is also receiving an update to its Remove Tool. The improved feature better accounts for how an object affects its surroundings, including its shadow and reflections.

When users select an object for removal, Photoshop can automatically identify and remove its associated shadow. The tool can also detect and address elements such as reflections, water ripples, dust, and fog when they are affected by the selected object.

Another addition is Quick Compare, which introduces a split-screen slider for comparing edited images against their original versions. This makes it easier to review changes without manually toggling individual layers, bringing functionality similar to Lightroom’s before-and-after comparison tool into Photoshop.

These improvements are included in the November Photoshop update.

AI-Assisted Editor and Photoshop AI Assistant

Adobe is moving its AI-Assisted Editor out of public beta and into the main Photoshop application. Introduced in August, the optional editing mode offers a simplified interface for prompt-based editing and commonly used tools such as object removal, Generative Fill, and image upscaling.

Users can switch back to the traditional Pro Editor when they need more advanced controls or want to work on more complex projects. The AI-Assisted Editor creates new generative layers while preserving the original image layers.

Photoshop is also getting an expanded AI Assistant powered by Adobe’s Creative Agent. This conversational tool can provide editing guidance and carry out multi-step tasks through a dedicated assistant panel, rather than requiring users to switch to a separate editing mode.

Adobe first announced the AI Assistant for Photoshop on the web at MAX 2025 before bringing it to the desktop beta application. However, the desktop version remains in beta. Adobe describes the latest version as expanded but has not detailed all the changes.

Lightroom Gets Glow and Blemish Removal

Lightroom is also receiving new editing capabilities, including Glow, a feature previously introduced in Adobe Camera Raw in August.

Glow adds diffusion, bloom, and halation effects to photographs. The Lightroom implementation includes five style options, giving users different ways to introduce a softer, more atmospheric look to their images.

Another addition is Blemish Removal, which provides one-tap retouching alongside controls for fine-tuning the results. The feature is already available as a Quick Action in the retouch menu of Lightroom’s mobile and web versions.

Adobe is also improving camera tethering in Lightroom Desktop and iPad, with updates to live review, image organization, and collaboration.

These Glow, Blemish Removal, and tethering improvements are included in Lightroom’s November update. Lightroom is also introducing Open Eyes as an Early Access feature, allowing users to correct closed or partially closed eyes using another photograph of the same person.

Adobe Previews Local MCP Integrations

Beyond the Photoshop and Lightroom updates, Adobe is previewing local Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations that connect third-party AI agents directly to native Creative Cloud projects.

The integrations will allow AI agents to work with projects such as Photoshop files while preserving their editable structure. According to Adobe, layers and other project elements remain accessible, allowing users to inspect and revise the resulting changes rather than receiving only a flattened image.

However, these MCP integrations are still in preview and are separate from the Photoshop and Lightroom features now available in their regular applications.

What’s Available Now?

Most of the new editing features are available through the November 2026 releases of Photoshop and Lightroom. The Relight, Generative Restyle, Quick Compare, and improved Remove Tool features have moved into the main Photoshop application, alongside the AI-Assisted Editor.

Lightroom users can now access Glow, Blemish Removal, and the improved tethering features. Open Eyes is available through Early Access.

Meanwhile, the Photoshop desktop AI Assistant remains in beta, while Adobe’s local MCP integrations are still in preview. These features are not yet part of the standard production release.